LOTS of GIVEAWAYS!

On this day 9 years ago, I walked down the isle of a small church in Ogden, Utah toward a man so finely dressed in a black tux standing next to our even more nervous pastor. The smile that Reuben had on his face was from ear to ear. He looked so handsome standing there in his tux. I'm even sure there was a tear in his eye.

We exchanged our vows, promising to allow God be the center strand in our marriage and took the vow 'til death do us part' as serious as serious could be, then sealed it with a kiss!

And here we stand, happily married 9 yrs later! Not once threatening to get a divorce, not once ever throwing the 'D' word into the mix of arguments, disagreements or yelling matches. YES- you read that right, we have had fights, disagreements and even yelling matches. Though now days they are far and few between, early in our marriage we were like very couple out there... trying to bring two separate people from two separate upbringings and ways of life into a marriage where two become one. We had to do lots of changing, compromising, learning, praying (mostly 'Lord change the other one!'), talking, and argueing, but we also did lots of praying ('Lord, be the center, teach us to love eachother unconditionally'), trusting, learning, enjoying, and making up!

I have been blessed to have a husband who loves me uncondidtionally, but he loves his Lord and Savior more than he loves me (adn I am totally okay with that!) and that is why this marriage has worked! We both know that the other has placed GOD above anything else in this marriage! We know that we can never love eachother as much as we love God, and we are bothokay with that. We have allowed God to be the center of our own personal lives, as well as the glue that holds our marrige together and the center of our family. HE is the reason this marriage has made it this far!

Reuben and I have been blessed to WANT to see this marriage succeed. We want to be togehter til death do us part... and that doesn't mean one of us is gonna kill the other so it will be over... I look forward to the next 40, 50, 60 years with Reuben. (He plans on living until he's 120... I plan on kicking the bucket about 80 or 90... so he'll have a few years alone.. finally some peace and quiet for him!)

We have a blessed marriage becasue we understand that there are things about men and women that are different. We understand that we are driven differently. We want different things. We like different things. We enjoy different things. We are made differently by God... but God knew what he was doing when he did it!

We are opposites in lots of things!

Reuben is organized, I am not by far!

Reuben is a perfectionist, I am a 'just get it done' gal!

Reuben is a quiet guy, you can't get me to shut up long enough to catch my breath!

Reuben is a SMART brilliant easy-learner, I am a not-so-smart show-me-that-again kindof person.

Reuben can pick a beat in ANY kind of music, but is not the best singer,

I can sing okay, but cannot dance if my life depended on it!

Reuben loves art, I love poetry.

Reuben is an exceptional leader, I am a great follower!

Reuben is skinny, I am not!

Reuben is dark, I am light!

Reuben can dissect scripture so easily, I can not, so he helps me!

Reuben can bake, I can cook, so I do dinner, he does dessert.

Reuben is so patient with our kids, I in so many things am not!

Reuben cannot dress our kids in matching outfits,

so I hang clothes in outfits in the closet for him to dress the little ones.

Reuben makes the money, I help spend it!

All these things (serious and silly) help make this marriage work! I would have hated to marry someone exactly like me. Reuben completes me and I understand that he is NOT me, he is Reuben... he is the man I meet, fought with myself to accept that fact that I loved him and God brought him into my life on purpose, and he his the man I decided to love,marry and keep!

I will not trade him for the world... he completes me! (Especially with all our differences!)

I can say the words "I love you" in many different languages,

but I hope that I have showed you my love over the years and still today.

You are a very special man to me.

You are not only my best friend, you are my greatest cheerleader and my biggest support.

You are my prayer warrior and my strength.

You are truly my better half.

I love you more today than the day I took you as my husband

and I will love you more tomorrow, I am sure.

Thank you for keeping your eyes on God!

Thank you for always loving me, cherishing me and treating me like a princess-